A man and woman from Rutland have been arrested on suspicion of involvement in the importing up to £6million worth of 'laughing gas' cannisters.

The pair, both aged 55, were detained in the Ketton area earlier today and are to be questioned by officers from the East Midlands Special Operations Unit (EMSOU) on suspicion of "importing a psychoactive substance for illegal human consumption" and money laundering .

Four other men, and two women, were also arrested during coordinated raids in north and south Yorkshire by the Yorkshire and Humber Regional Organised Crime Unit.

Nitrous oxide, also known as laughing gas, balloons, NOS and hippy crack, is a gas commonly used in the medical and catering industry, but is increasingly being used as a so-called ‘legal high’.

The consequences of taking the substance include dizziness and headaches, but can also be deadly, leading to suffocation.

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EMSOU’s Detective Chief Inspector Ed McBryde-Wilding said: “In 2016 the government changed the law to ensure those involved in the unlawful supply of nitrous oxide could be prosecuted.

Nitrous oxide is also known as laughing gas, balloons, NOS and hippy crack (Image: Getty)

“Today, by working closely with other law enforcement partners, we have arrested a number of individuals suspected of being involved in the trafficking of this seemingly innocuous but potentially deadly substance."

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